The Poppy Path - Cromford
11am on Saturday 10th November sees the unveiling of a very special First World War commemoration project at Cromford Mills which has drawn on the heritage of the site along with its connections to Cromford village.v
‘The Poppy Path’ is being opened along the pathway joining the Cromford Mill World Heritage site to St Mary’s Church which was built by the Arkwright Family in 1797. The project was created to invite visitors to Cromford Mills to commemorate the fallen from the village in a permanent memorial on the site.
The Poppy Path has been developed over the summer through a range of free family workshops and activities with visitors to the site. Using the stories of the fallen, visitors to Cromford Mill have created pieces of art which will form an exhibition backdrop for the memorial pieces being performed on the 10th November. The panels have been created from linen and pigment which were chosen because during 1914-18 Cromford Mill was principally a laundry and dye works.
The event will see local dance school and drama group Peak Ballet and Tinderbox Theatre Company present their specially created performance pieces using the Poppy Path as a back drop and will provide an immersive thought-provoking experience on the weekend of the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day.
The group from Peak Ballet span three generations and will be performing a piece they have choreographed themselves, using movement and mime to tell the poignant stories and portray the powerful emotions of those left behind when Cromford’s men went to war. Representing the families of Cromford, the dancers will transport us to a time when women ‘held the fort’ and children were caught between the innocence of childhood and the horrors of war.
The Tinderbox Performing Arts Centre situated in Darley Dale, Derbyshire. The actors started to devise their piece ‘Family Matters – The Soldiers of Cromford’ using biographies of the WW1 soldiers that lived in Cromford, Matlock. The idea of family, and the impact upon them whilst their loved ones were away fighting, became important as a theme for our drama. The piece is a memorial to the local soldiers who died in the war, but also to the families left behind. The Senior Youth Theatre are very excited to also be performing this work as part of the Eleven Eleven commemorative arts festival at The Regent’s Theatre, Stoke-on –Trent.
Cromford Mill was used as a laundry during WW1. From this, the idea of ‘things that go into the wash rarely come out the same size or shape’, informed the theme of our piece. Soldiers entered the war, but their experiences changed them, sometimes for good. ‘Shellshock’ is a term derived from the mental illness WW1 soldiers suffered as a result of the trauma they had endured. Soldiers were either deemed mad or cowards and therapy treatment was only just beginning. Our piece explores one man’s experience and treatment 100 years ago.
Cromford Mills are pleased to be able to commemorate the sacrifice of local soldiers during the First World War and through the summer have been working with visitors and local groups to create the artwork which will be on display. Next summer will see the blooming of a wildflower meadow to the left of the path as you walk toward the church creating an enduring monument for generations to come.
Following the specially created performances by Peak Ballet dancers and Students from Tinderbox Theatre Company, we invite you take time to enjoy the work which has been created and is displayed along the pathway towards the Church role in the history of this site and is a fascinating Grade 2 Listed building.
To compete the connection to the Arkwright Family and there is an opportunity to explore both St Mary’s Church and the grounds of Willersley Castle as well as the village itself searching for poppy painted rocks completed as part of the project and to visit for lunch or afternoon tea looking back towards the Mills, the Church and The Poppy Path itself.v
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